On 7 September each year, many people stop and reflect on the fact that on that same date in 1936, Australia’s Tasmanian tiger, also known as the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), slipped over the extinction line.
Sixty years later in 1996, the Threatened Species Network founded by WWF-Australia and the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust established National Threatened Species Day to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian tiger at Hobart Zoo.
National Threatened Species Day is a day when we shine a spotlight on all the Australian native animal and plant species that are facing similar fates to that of the Tasmanian tiger.
Today we celebrate our iconic Aussie wildlife and the incredible conservation work to restore our environment is our mission to Regenerate Australia.
Since the devastating 2019/20 bushfires, WWF-Australia has collaborated with our dedicated partners to conduct on-the-ground projects and we’re seeing incredible results.
From discovering the silver-headed antechinus population in Queensland survived the megafires, to rewilding the brush-tailed bettong on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, we have restored habitat, re-introduced species and taken steps to safeguard the future of our diverse ecosystems.
Over 488 native species are currently listed as threatened under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999, and after the catastrophic bushfires in 2019-20 with nearly 3 billion animals impacted, many of these species are being pushed further towards extinction.
This National Threatened Species Day, get involved in helping Australia's threatened wildlife. Discover what animals need protection in your local area using WWF-Australia’s ‘My Backyard’ tool, and find out how well they’re being cared for.
Discover who lives in your backyard
